Training Load and Repetitions

Load is a fancy word for weight – and is the most important aspect of program design.

What makes it the most important? Because it drives how many repetitions can be performed, which drives how many sets can be performed and also drives hormonal differences.

Work as we learned previously in the physics chapter, is a force applied over a distance.

However in the context of weight training this can sometimes be a difficult concept to

measure, so other terms are used to be descriptive about a workout – namely load-volume and repetition-volume.

Load volume

Load volume is essentially a rudimentary calculation of work. Take the weight used, the distance it was moved, multiplied by the number of repetitions. For example a 100kg deadlift where the weight is moved 1 meter for 15 reps would be 1500 work units. If the weight was moved 2 meters it would be 3000 work units, and so on. (100kg x 2m x 15 = 3000)

Repetition volume

To simplify things even further, repetition volume removes the distance component. For the deadlift example above, both would calculate as 1500 work units (100kg x 15reps = 1500 work units). You lose some information about how much was done, but kept in context of the athlete it can still provide valuable information.

So if you keep track of these statistics, you could quickly glean an idea of how intense a workout was. How many reps were performed, roughly how much weight, etc

For example, an athlete completes the following:

Back Squat – 50×5, 75×5, 100×3, 100×3, 100×3, 100×3, 100×3 Load volume (LV) = 250 + 375 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300 + 300 = 2125 Rep volume (RV) = 5 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 25

Average load lifted = LV / RV = 2125 / 25 = 85

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Estimating 1RM

In step 5, a good deal of calculation will rely on you knowing the athlete’s 1RM. Instead of testing a 1RM, you can estimate it by referring to a table that is included in the NSCA book.

However, on test day you won’t have access to that book – so it behooves you to memorize the table. Of course we know memorization is a pain in the ass, so I came up with a good way of memorizing the table.

Take the following sequence of numbers:

1-2-4-6-8-10-11-15

Read those numbers out loud, slowly. Think about them for a minute. The first three numbers are doubles of the previous.

1-2-4

The first 6 numbers besides the first are all even and increment by two 2-4-6-8-10

And 11 just doesn’t fit in anywhere. Why does it only jump a single repetition from 10 to 11, but jumps four for the next? It doesn’t make much sense, but part of it does. You can use the quirky sequence that makes sense for part of it, but no sense for the last part – to memorize it easily.

Now look at them again, then close your eyes and repeat them.

1-2-4-6-8-10-11-15

Did you repeat them correctly? If you didn’t, write them down and spend some time memorizing these numbers before you move on to the next exercise.

cscsexamguide.com 83 Recreating the table

This next exercise is fairly simple, but very important. Take that number sequence you just learned and fill out the left hand column of the table below with those numbers.

Now that you’ve done that, fill in the right hand column with the top number starting at 100, and subtract 5 for each successive column – 100, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65. Your table should look like this:

This is how you will recreate the table come exam day. You may be wondering what to do if you need to be able to calculate 1RM based on a 12RM – have no fear, just estimate. A 3RM is somewhere between 95 and 90, just guess 92.5 and you will be really close. Same goes for all the other numbers. The exam is not going to nitpick you for being off by 0.5 percent so you can rest assured that this method will get you good results come exam day.

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Step 6: Volume

Volume, as we mentioned in Step 5, is simply the number of repetitions performed. A set is a group of reps performed without rest. If an athlete is instructed to do 2 sets of 10 (often written as 2×10) they would perform 10 reps, rest the specified amount of time, and perform another 10 reps - pretty basic stuff.

Multiple Sets, or a Single Set to Failure?

Much debate has encircled the idea of doing a single set to failure, or multiple sets. Studies have shown 6×2, 3×6, and 3×10 all increasing strength with no significant difference in strength gains between repetition schemes. These studies all

involved untrained individuals. Again, context is key…know the athlete’s training status.

The lesson here is: For a beginner, anything works Strength for Trained Athletes

If the goal is strength the repetition scheme should involve sets of 3-6 reps. This maximizes strength potential and maintains the quality of the movement performed, especially with power exercises like the clean and snatch.

Hypertrophy

It is generally accepted that higher volume leads to larger muscle size. No substantial amount of studies have been done on this topic, however interviews with elite bodybuilders suggest that performing three or more exercises per muscle group is the most effective strategy for increasing muscle size.

Examples

If you are training a football lineman, both strength and size are important as the athlete needs both power and size as he will be colliding with other players. Train with sets in the 8-12 rep range, to simplify go with sets of 10 reps.

If you are training a basketball player, strength is important. Sets of 3-6 on the power exercises and 10 on assistance.

A cross country runner is training for muscular endurance, 12-15+ reps would be appropriate.

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